Screen Yorkshire Announces New Staff and Board Appointments

Screen Yorkshire continues to grow and strengthen the organisation with the announcement today of two new key staff members and the addition of two new high-profile executives to its Board.

Beatrice Neumann steps up to the senior management role of Head of Skills and Industry Engagement, after joining the team on a part-time basis as Manager – Centre of Screen Excellence: Yorkshire in January 2022. Olivia-Jane Pearson also joins Screen Yorkshire’s staff in the newly created role of Executive Assistant, supporting Chief Executive Caroline Cooper Charles.

Beatrice Neumann steps up to Head of Skills and Industry Engagement

In her role as Head of Skills and Industry Engagement, Beatrice will be responsible for the management and development of Screen Yorkshire’s training and skills programmes, designed to build a skilled and diverse production workforce as the region’s film and TV sector goes from strength to strength.

These initiatives have proved to be game changing for many individuals embarking on careers in the industry, helping trainees find paid roles on a wide range of high-profile TV and film productions over the past couple of years, including: Mission Impossible 7, The Railway Children Return, Bridgerton, The Witcher, Gentleman Jack, Springtime on the Farm, A New Life in the Sun and The Yorkshire Dales and Lakes.

Screen Yorkshire’s current programme of skills and training initiatives includes: Centre of Screen Excellence: Yorkshire, a partnership with ScreenSkills offering specialist craft and technical training to individuals in areas where there are specific crew skills shortages; Beyond Brontës: The Mayor’s Screen Diversity Programme, a bespoke programme tailored to offer 18 to 30 year-olds from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds a route into the region’s screen industries – and Connected Campus, a network designed to build and develop the relationship between local indies and the region’s universities and colleges.

Beatrice will also take on running the Indie Club, a network established by Screen Yorkshire after the pandemic, as a way of liaising with and supporting the region’s independent film & TV production sector.

Beatrice joined Screen Yorkshire as Manager – Centre of Screen Excellence: Yorkshire in January 2022, having worked in the film and TV industry for just over 20 years. After a successful career in acquisitions for various UK sales companies, which saw her working on films like Fishtank, The Cove and I Am Love, she has since worked directly with filmmakers as independent international sales, distribution and script consultant.

Beatrice also offers advisory and strategic services to companies and has designed and delivered events, training and mentoring including Distribution Rewired for Edinburgh International Film Festival, Screentank for Dame Changer Australia, Screen Skills Ireland, IFFR Cinemart, BFI, Creative England and Film London to name just a few. As well as lecturing at Sheffield Hallam University, Beatrice also worked for the prestigious Inside Pictures business training programme.

I’m delighted to join the fabulous team at Screen Yorkshire in a more significant role and to help shape the future of the region’s skill sector. Thanks to my work with CoSE:Y and our fantastic outgoing Head of Skills and Industry Engagement, Glyn Middleton in the last few months, I have had a chance to get a real insight into the challenges and opportunities and consider it a great privilege to be able to support and collaborate with the region’s screen industry and educational sector to effectively develop Yorkshire’s skills base and meet the demands of a flourishing production landscape. My biggest joy is and will continue to be, to create opportunities for all the talented and skilled people that come through our doors.

Beatrice Neumann

Jo Schofield Steps up to Senior Talent Development Executive

Jo Schofield who joined Screen Yorkshire part-time in 2021 to run the FLEX agile storytelling initiative has also stepped up to the newly created role of Senior Talent Development Executive. Jo will now take a more strategic role for the company in developing and expanding its work with writers, directors and producers, alongside a new initiative to help tackle the lack of diversity amongst script editors and other key development roles. In addition, she will support the Chief Executive in an editorial capacity on projects and investments awarded through the Yorkshire Content Fund.

Jo Schofield

Radha Chakraborty and Martin Burke Join Screen Yorkshire's Board

Alongside its internal staff appointments, Screen Yorkshire has recruited two new members to join its specialist board: Accountancy and tax expert Radha Chakraborty, Director of Development Media International and Martin Burke, Marketing and eCommerce Director at Bettys and Taylors.

Marketing and commerce specialist Martin Burke brings over 18 years of global marketing & digital experience across Food and Drink, Retail and Entertainment to Screen Yorkshire’s board. Martin currently works as Marketing and eCommerce Director at Bettys and Taylors, home to the UKs favourite brew, Yorkshire Tea and the region’s favourite tea and Fat Rascal destination, Bettys, where he is responsible for the Bettys Brand, Marketing and Online Sales. Martin also has 10 years’ experience in the Film, TV and Gaming industries in various marketing and brand roles at Warner Brothers, Sony PlayStation and Electronic Arts.

Martin Burke

Born and bred on the chocolate paved streets of York, I moved back to Yorkshire from London with our young family 9 years ago. We spend a lot of our time in the awesome film locations the region is famous for and I’m incredibly excited to join Screen Yorkshire. I’m passionate about film and TV and looking forward to seeing how my experience can play a small role in supporting the team drive this vibrant sector in Yorkshire.

Martin Burke, Marketing and eCommerce Director at Bettys and Taylors

Radha Chakraborty

Finance and strategy expert Radha Chakraborty is Director of Development Media International, an NGO that works on improving child health and cognitive outcomes across 14 countries in sub–Saharan Africa. She is also Vice Chair of BookTrust, the UK’s largest children’s reading charity, and a Trustee of Missing People. After a mathematics degree at Imperial College Radha qualified as a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor at PwC and worked at Shell before becoming a partner at Towers Perrin (now Willis Towers Watson) where she led one of the GB lines of business. She was also Operations Director at Comic Relief.

I’m delighted to have the opportunity to support the exceptional screen industry talent that we have in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Radha Chakraborty, Director of Development Media

Screen Yorkshire is nothing without its people and I feel so privileged to be surrounded by a wealth of expertise, knowledge and passion for the screen industries – both from our hugely supportive board and our tremendously committed staff team. They make everything possible.

Caroline Cooper Charles, Chief Executive, Screen Yorkshire

Screen Yorkshire has been supported by the BFI’s National Cluster Growth Fund using National Lottery funding to support the development and growth of the Yorkshire screen sector.